


Seven Full Hearts

by DoomedTemperament



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hope's Peak Academy (Dangan Ronpa), Angst, Fluff, Friendship, Games, Humor, Iruma Miu Being Iruma Miu, M/M, Rating May Change, Reader-Interactive, Romance, Texting, Video Game Mechanics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-06-20 23:16:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15544344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoomedTemperament/pseuds/DoomedTemperament
Summary: "But, as a favor, since we’reclose friendsand all, I’ll let you keep the glasses. I’ll know how well they work when you show up to class covered in hickeys!"Kokichi tapped his chin in mock-thought. “Gee Miu, that’s really kind of you. I’m sure there’s absolutely no ulterior motive for you to give them to me.”“Ha! I get to watch you flounder around trying to get some dick and act as my personal test subject. That’s really all I’m trying to get out of this.”(An experiment in interactive fiction)





	1. RSG, or, Romance Simulation Glasses

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is more of a test than anything concrete. I'm still working on my other SaiOuma fics, but since the semester is about to start up and I might not have as much time to write/draw lengthy things once it does, I wanted to put out something that can be relatively low-maintenance and fun.
> 
> The concept behind this fic is that you, the reader(s), get to choose what happens next. At the end of each chapter, I'll include a link to a poll where you guys can vote on a course of action to proceed the story.
> 
> Ah, also, this is a Hope's Peak Academy AU, just for funsies.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who continues to support me through these fics, and thank you to the SaiOuma Pit for inspiring me to do this! (^-^)/

“Alright, since you practically begged me to help test out your new invention, you could at least tell me what it is,” Kokichi said, somewhat strained.

This was the fourth time in the last seven days that Miu had dragged Kokichi to her dorm room for help with her inventing schemes, and while Kokichi typically found humor in her variety of contraptions (and swear words), he wasn’t sure how comfortable he was with the recent trend of becoming her lab rat.

“First of all, I didn’t beg you for help—”

“Yeah you did.”

“—And second of all, you’re going to want to be a part of this.” Miu looked back at Kokichi with a wide grin, and added, “I’ve specifically designed it so sadsacks like you can get your V-card punched quickly and stylishly!”

Kokichi grimaced as Miu led him into the room.

He had had plenty of time to get used to Miu’s… _interesting_ room arrangement; Surprisingly enough, the room was full of bits and pieces of different machines and blueprints, more reminiscent of a mad scientist’s lab than a sex dungeon like some might guess (though he didn’t dare look under her bed or in her nightstand… some things were better off a mystery.) The only available space to sit was on her bed, so he did. Kokichi watched impatiently as Miu locked the door and shuffled around the room, huffing as she looked for something.

“Don’t tell me your klutzy ass forgot where you put the invention,” Kokichi said.

“Don’t get your pretty red and yellow-striped panties in a twist— aha! Got it!” Miu said triumphantly, and held up…

…

“A pair of glasses? Really?” Kokichi said flatly.

“Not just any glasses,” Miu said, holding out the eyewear to Kokichi. “These glasses are specially engineered, one-of-a-kind, Iruma brand Romance Simulation Glasses! Or RSG if you’re too lazy to say the full name.”

“Romance simulation glasses?” Kokichi said, trying not to let his curiosity shine through as he picked up the specs, “What the hell does that mean?”

Miu merely huffed, and said, “Try ‘em on and see.”

Kokichi stared at the glasses hesitantly. The name sounded harmless enough, and he doubted Miu had the guts to do anything intentionally harmful to him, so without further hesitation, he slid them into place, blinking as his eyes adjusted.

He looked around the room, not sure what had changed. Everything seemed normal. Was he being tricked?

“Miu, what are you trying to—” He started, and trailed off, eyes widening behind the lenses at the sight before him.

_He could see Miu as clear as day, letting out an annoyingly smug cackle as Kokichi froze. Surrounding her were small lines of text, each describing her physical assets with a series of numbers and signs attached to them. (Unsurprisingly, her chest was “+100”, not that Kokichi had any interest in that sort of thing. Also, he’d rather die than be caught staring at Miu’s boobs for absolutely longer than necessary.) There were also two small bars in the upper right field of his vision; One with seven hearts, three of which were pink; The other with three Xs, none of which were pink._

“Miu, what is this? It’s like something straight out of a video game!” Kokichi said, too awed to mask his excitement.

“As if! Video games aren’t nearly as cool as those bad boys,” Miu said proudly. “Those glasses rely on the latest in technology to scan vital statistics, body language, and even neurological patterns!”

“These glasses can read minds?!”

“N-not so loud!” Miu said, startled, and wrapped her arms around her abdomen. “They can’t read thoughts or anything, j-just general emotions… and… stuff…” She trailed off. “The hearts and Xs on the corner are meant to represent relationship status and overall satisfaction of whoever you’re talking to.”

Kokichi adjusted the frames on his nose.

“So… hearts are good, Xs are bad. Got it.” He paused, and then added, “You only have three hearts right now. What happens if I reach seven?”

Miu perked up again, and let out a hearty laugh. “Ha! The hearts are a scale of how close to bangin’ the other person you are! Three hearts means we’re close friends,” She said, and without giving Kokichi time to refute her claim, added, “And seven hearts means whoever you’ve got your eyes on is ready to do the dirty!” She laughed again, and finished, “Too bad you could never get _me_ to seven hearts. A scrub like you will never get to experience the joy of having these knockers in your little gremlin hands!”

“Yeah,” Kokichi glanced at his fingernails, speaking in a bored tone of voice, “I’m not even near the vicinity of straight enough to want to touch your balloon tits.”

A moment of silence.

“You’re gay?”

Kokichi stared at Miu for a stretch of several seconds, before bursting out into laughter.

“Oh my god, did you really not know? Come on Miu, that’s the one thing I couldn’t lie about even if I wanted to!”

“So all those times when I called you a twink, they were true?!” Miu asked, dumbfounded.

“Actually, I’ll have you know I’m a daddy dom,” Kokichi said blankly.

“Bullshit,” Miu looked away, seeming to recover from her earlier shock. “There’s no way a little twerp like you could have gotten nasty with anyone, especially not like that.” She smiled then, not even remotely innocent, and added, “But, as a favor, since we’re _close friends_ and all, I’ll let you keep the glasses. I’ll know how well they work when you show up to class covered in hickeys!”

Kokichi tapped his chin in mock-thought.

“Gee Miu, that’s really kind of you. I’m sure there’s absolutely no ulterior motive for you to give them to me.”

“Ha! I get to watch you flounder around trying to get some dick and act as my personal test subject. That’s really all I’m trying to get out of this.”

Kokichi slid the glasses off of his face, blinking when the imagery was no longer there.

“You know, these might just be cool enough that I can ignore those last few sentences and keep wearing them,” He said, and asked, “Do you have a case for these?”

Miu hummed happily as she retrieved a small case from the cluttered desk and tossed it towards Kokichi.

“Just try not to break ‘em too quickly.”

Kokichi accepted the case, put the glasses inside, and prepared to leave, but not before he heard Miu clear her throat. He turned around to look at her. She was wearing an unreadable expression, but her hand was outstretched, balled into a fist. Kokichi glanced at her hand, then to her face, then to her hand again, and after a decision, raised his own fist to knock his knuckles against hers in what he would later deny was a fistbump.

* * *

Kokichi decided to officially begin testing out Miu’s invention the following day. It was a rainy Thursday morning, and thankfully he’d had the foresight to ask about the case, lest they accidentally get destroyed in the rain. Once he stepped into the pristine hallways of Hope’s Peak Academy, he did a quick double-take, and slipped the glasses on. There was still another half-hour until classes began, but he figured that getting onto campus relatively early would mean he could avoid information overload if the glasses picked up on the stats of too many people.

As he wandered to his classroom, he glanced around, his eyes never settling on one student too long. Most of them had no hearts or Xs colored with them; Complete strangers. One or two actually had an X colored in, and he vaguely recognized them as unfortunate victims of his previous pranks, though there was nobody particularly noteworthy to bump into.

At least, not until he _literally_ bumped into someone, nearly knocking them both to the floor. Kokichi let out a quiet “oof” and flinched, only opening his eyes when he heard a familiar voice saying “Are you okay— wait, Kokichi?”

Kokichi opened his eyes, and immediately grinned upon seeing the face of who may have sort of kind of possibly conceivably been his huge fucking crush.

“Shuichi!” Kokichi said, quickly adopting a fake pout to mask his happiness, “Did you really not recognize me? I thought our friendship meant something to you!” He then proceeded to wail, shedding crocodile tears… which started smearing on the lenses of the glasses. As soon as he noticed them, he took them off to wipe them clean, the tears ceasing almost instantly.

“I’ve just never seen you in glasses before,” Shuichi said hesitantly.

Kokichi took the opportunity to observe Shuichi as he flustered.

_Shuichi’s stats took a moment to calculate; Most importantly, he had three hearts filled on the bar in the upper right; Did that mean he considered Kokichi a close friend? That was a thought for later, and Kokichi made a mental note of it. For the numbers surrounding him, his stomach was at “-4”, which Kokichi assumed meant Shuichi was somewhat hungry. His biceps were both at “+55”, his eyes were at “+90”, and his lips were at “+25”... wait, shit, they were moving._

“...are you hearing me?”

Kokichi blinked at Shuichi, and shook his head.

“Sorry, I was totally distracted by that huge cowlick on your head!” He said cheerfully, earning an exasperated expression from Shuichi in response.

“That’s always been there. I was asking… why are you wearing glasses?”

Shuichi tilted his head slightly- not in judgment, but in curiosity. It was a cute look on him.

 _On the one hand,_ Kokichi thought to himself, _Shuichi probably shouldn’t know about the glasses. I can’t reveal my newest trick just yet. But on the other hand… it would be fun to see his reaction to them. And it’s not like I’d need to tell him the whole truth about them, right?_

After a moment of thought, Kokichi decided that his best option was to...

**→Lie about the glasses**  
**→Tell the truth about the glasses**  
**→Blatantly flirt and see what happens**  
**→Other (comment)**

* * *

POLL CLOSED ON 8/4/2018! 


	2. Blatantly flirt and see what happens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miu looked at Kokichi for a long moment, and said, “You’re really fuckin’ serious about whoever this guy is, aren’t you?”
> 
> Kokichi blinked.
> 
> Maybe Miu _could_ be perceptive. _Sometimes._
> 
> “I guess so. And that’s not a lie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good lord you guys jumped on that last poll quickly. And since I was feeling pretty under the weather (i.e. unable to draw or get out of bed much today) I decided I might as well crank out another chapter of this since the votes were in.
> 
> Something to take note of: Since I am using the free version of SurveyMonkey, each poll will only register the first 100 answers it receives (otherwise I'd have to upgrade to premium.) So if you want your voice to be heard, be nimble! Be quick! Also keep in mind that as this story progresses, the choices you make will become more and more important in deciding the direction of the fic.
> 
> That being said, the most popular response from the last poll with a whopping 54 votes was "Blatantly flirt and see what happens". Without further delay, I present to you, chapter two!

“Obviously I’m wearing them so I can see your adorable face more clearly!” Kokichi answered, leaning in closer to look at the detective-to-be with eager eyes.

Shuichi opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, possibly preparing to unravel whatever lie Kokichi might have set up, but no sound came out of his mouth.

There was a split second of silence. Kokichi’s smile went even wider when realization dawned on Shuichi’s face, leaving a pretty dusting of light red in its path.

“I don’t know what I thought you would say, but I didn’t think it’d be that,” Shuichi said, and furrowed his brows- probably trying to make sure that the sentence he’d just formed was actually coherent.

“What, I can’t show my favorite classmate some genuine affection every once in a while?” Kokichi continued, quietly admiring how Shuichi hadn’t brushed off his words. “You should be happy that I’m trying to charm you instead of running around causing mayhem!” He glanced around exaggeratedly, and held a hand up to his face in a stage-whisper, “I had a really good prank that I was gonna pull on Angie, but when I saw you looking even cuter than usual, I decided against it!”

Shuichi made a humming sound that could have meant anything from dissent to nervousness to amused agreement, and glanced away. During that quiet moment, Kokichi saw something strange happen on the view of his glasses; The fourth heart on the bar, one that was devoid of any pink, began to almost pulse rhythmically.

 _Is it going to get filled up?_ Kokichi thought wildly, _There’s no way it’s that easy._

And just as he thought, the heart returned to its normal display shortly after, still empty. But then… Kokichi wondered what it could have meant. He’d have to ask Miu about it later.

“You’re always so good at deflecting,” Shuichi said, pulling Kokichi out of his musings. Kokichi looked back at him, and smiled.

“Well duh, I have to be good at it if I want to keep people from prying into my deepest darkest secrets. Can you imagine if I was as easy to squeeze the truth out of as Kiibo or something? My organization would shame me for life!” Kokichi said, waiting until Shuichi looked back at him to tack on the obligatory “...But that’s a lie.”

“So I guess that means you’re not going to tell me about the glasses, then?” Shuichi said, though at this point, he was smiling too.

(Kokichi was almost tempted to tell Shuichi how endearing it was to see him smile, but he figured that would be overkill.)

“Nope!” Kokichi conceded. “Sorry Shuichi, but this is one mystery you’re not going to solve.”

“If you say so,” Shuichi responded, and adjusted his shirt’s collar.

That was one of the things Kokichi loved about Shuichi: He was never truly ready to leave a case without closing it. His search for the truth was both entertaining and strangely alluring, and maybe that was why Kokichi had fallen for him. That, and the fact that Shuichi was one of the few who was actually willing to go along with his antics at times. He was also attractive, clever…

“Wanna walk to class with me?” Kokichi asked, taking off his glasses and putting them in the case. _Can’t let myself get too distracted._

“Sure.”

* * *

The morning classes that day seemed to fly by much faster than they normally did, though that might have been because Kokichi had managed to keep himself entertained by fussing with his RSG whenever he found himself getting bored. Observing his classmates was a much more interesting hobby now that he was privy to more of their hidden information.

_The numbers on Kaito’s eyes keep falling— oh, wait, he’s asleep now. That makes sense. And Maki’s heart numbers are getting higher each time she looks at him, ooh la la. Kiibo is… damn it, I should have known his numbers would be nothing but ones and zeros. Why does he have two Xs, anyway? And then, of course, there’s Shuichi..._

Eventually, the bell for the lunch period rang out, and Kokichi took advantage of the free time to follow after Miu.

Once he had managed to get her into a corner of the cafeteria away from prying eyes, he put on his best poker face, and said.

“Your glasses are lame.”

Oh, if only he had a camera to preserve Miu’s expression.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

Kokichi shrugged; “They’re dumb. They suck. They’re useless. I haven’t gotten any more hearts today, so they’re probably busted.”

Miu glared at him, unimpressed.

“You can’t just get hearts that quickly, numbnuts. The glasses are meant to assist you, not do the work for you. It wouldn’t be as funny for me to watch otherwise.” After a moment of thought, her expression lit up— “Wait, whose pants are you trying to get into? Is it someone in our class?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Kokichi said, pressing a finger to his lips with a wicked smile.

“Being a cryptic little shit won’t get you laid,” Miu said, seemingly superior, “Especially if you’re looking for someone like Gonta. The guy probably has a monster cock, but you’ll just confuse him.”

Kokichi grimaced— “Ew, no. He’d probably tear me in half with that thing.”

“Aha, so you _are_ a bottom!”

“Not so loud, you skank!”

“Heeeeeee?! D-don’t shout at me like that when I’m trying to help you!”

Kokichi glanced around the cafeteria, trying to gauge if anyone had heard their conversation. From the looks of it, nobody was paying attention. Or rather, whoever may have been paying attention probably didn’t want to, and was trying to ignore them. That was better in the long run, he guessed. Nobody would really be able to understand the certain kind of companionship he and Miu had anyway.

“Anyway, it’s impossible for me not to lie. Seventy percent of my bloodstream is made of lies,” Kokichi said, taking the glasses out of their case and putting them back on. “I’ll just have to think of a way to get him to love my lies.”

Miu looked at Kokichi for a long moment, and said, “You’re really fuckin’ serious about whoever this guy is, aren’t you?”

Kokichi blinked.

Maybe Miu _could_ be perceptive. _Sometimes._

“I guess so. And that’s not a lie.”

* * *

It was only after leaving the cafeteria that Kokichi realized he hadn’t actually gotten anything to eat. Even though he was hungry, he had too much pride to go back and get something with the risk of running into Miu again. He hadn’t intended to show how invested he was in romancing his “mystery man”, and his gut was telling him that Miu wouldn’t leave him alone about it for too long.

_So what am I supposed to do about getting food then? The vending machine on this side of the campus is out of order… you’d think that such a high-profile school would be quick to fix that sort of thing. Isn’t there a mechanic in another class who could do that?_

Without realizing it, Kokichi had wandered back to the classroom. There were still twenty minutes left until class was supposed to resume, but after thinking about it, he decided that the best use of his time would be to try and catch up on some work while he could. After all, supreme leaders always got perfect marks. He adjusted the glasses on his nose, and re-entered the classroom, only to be greeted by the sight of Shuichi, who was seated at his desk with a book in one hand, a pair of chopsticks in the other. On the desk was a half-eaten bento, and the sight of it made Kokichi’s stomach rumble— which, of course, brought Shuichi’s attention to him.

“You didn’t eat, did you, Kokichi?” Shuichi asked with a frown.

“Nope! I was too busy plotting my latest nefarious deeds to eat!” Kokichi said, and the sound of his stomach rumbling again emphasized his point.

“You should have gotten something from the vending machines,” Shuichi said, but before Kokichi had the chance to correct him, he offered his chopsticks to Kokichi. “You can have the rest of this if you want.”

“Aw, Shuichi, how sweet of you!” Kokichi said, and pretended to swoon to mask how hungry he was.

Shuichi glanced away and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I accidentally made too much this morning anyway, and I don’t want to waste food…”

Kokichi stared at him.

“You mean you made this?”

“Yes…?” Shuichi hesitantly said. “There’s a small grocery store near campus, and the dorm’s communal kitchen is usually empty so I don’t need to worry about bothering anyone, so…”

Kokichi could have died on the spot.

“Sweet _and_ good at cooking! Most people would consider that housewife material, you know?” He teased, enjoying the way that Shuichi’s cheeks began to turn red.

“House _husband,”_ Shuichi corrected.

“Yeah, well, if you married me, you’d be more than just a house husband. You’d be one of the most powerful people in the country. Nobody would want to mess with the spouse of the ultimate leader of evil,” Kokichi added. “If you wanted, you could even be my second in command. You’ve got the brains for it.”

Shuichi looked at him with a strange expression that Kokichi might not have been able to decipher, had it not been for the fact that the same heart on the corner of his vision that had been pulsing earlier was doing it again.

“You really think so?” Shuichi asked.

 _This could be important,_ Kokichi realized. _If I play my cards right, I might be able to fill up that next heart. But should I really give him a serious answer? If I’m too sincere, he might get intimidated— or even worse, he might not believe me. But if I try to play it cool, he might get discouraged._

_I guess there’s only one way to find out what’s right._

**→Be sincere**  
**→Play it cool**

* * *

POLL CLOSED ON 8/6/2018! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Monokuma voice* Will you make the right choice? Or the dreadfully wrong one? What's it gonna be?!


	3. Be sincere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi looked as though he wanted to question Kokichi further, but thought better of it.
> 
> “Since you’re here, I kind of wanted to ask you about something.”
> 
> Kokichi tilted his head, a silent urge for Shuichi to continue.
> 
>  
> 
> _Buzz, buzz._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished up this chapter pretty quickly, and all I can say is: Wowee, you guys are lightning fast to vote.
> 
> A breathtaking 93 out of 100 voted for "be sincere", which is WAY more than I was expecting. You guys are smart... _too smart._
> 
> This time around, the poll might require some careful consideration. Or will it?

“Of course I do,” Kokichi said, shrugging and looking down at the bento. _There’s even pickled ginger in here. How cute._ “You’re an ultimate detective, which is already a huge accomplishment. You’ve got good intuition, even though you’re way too honest about it, and that’s one of the great things about you. And, while I’ll always be ten steps ahead of you,” Kokichi smirked, and looked at Shuichi once more, “I can appreciate the fact that you’re one of the only people to see past the lies on a semi-consistent basis. So don’t stop surprising me, Shuichi.”

Shuichi’s eyes were wide by that point, and after a moment of thought, in an almost awed voice, said, “You actually mean that.” It might have been a statement, or perhaps a question in disguise, but Kokichi wasn’t focusing on that.

What he was focusing on instead was the shuddering little heart in the corner of his vision, which was now filled with a lovely shade of pink.

_Four down, three to go._

“Anyway!” Kokichi said, and proceeded to eat the rest of Shuichi’s lunch.

* * *

The rest of the school day was more or less a blur from that point on. Kokichi had decided to take the glasses off for a few hours, instead opting to let his note-taking run on autopilot as he daydreamed. Occasionally, he’d glance at Shuichi, whose expression was almost vacant; Pensive, like he was trying to solve a particularly hard puzzle. Kokichi briefly wondered what Shuichi must have been thinking— Shuichi didn’t have the incredible powers of the RSG, so it was impossible to know if he was even aware that his feelings had changed to something closer. _Maybe that’s what it is,_ Kokichi thought, _He’s just trying to figure out his emotions. Then again, I don’t know what exactly the fourth heart is supposed to signify either, so I guess I need to talk to Miu again later. If I’m lucky, I might not have to explain what happened earlier._

His good mood must have been showing by the end of class; He didn’t even mind being selected alongside Kiibo for cleaning duty at the end of the day, which was clearly a surprise to the ultimate robot.

“You’re alarmingly cheerful today. You didn’t booby-trap my room during lunch again, did you?” Kiibo asked as he looked on the floor for trash. “I still haven’t gotten all the glitter out of my armor since you put the bucket above my door.”

“Who knows?” Kokichi said with a pleased hum, “Maybe I did. Or maybe I just looked around your room for your secret hidden robo-dick.”

“I told you already, I don’t have one!” Kiibo cried out indignantly.

“Sure, sure, that’s what you say. But you know I hate liars. I’ll uncover the truth someday, Kiiboy.”

Kiibo merely grimaced in response.

After cleaning off the chalkboard, stacking the chairs on the desks, and setting out the garbage, Kokichi left the classroom. He still had a few hours to kill before the cafeteria would be open to serve students dinner, and as delicious as Shuichi’s bento had been, it was still only half of a meal. So he decided to wander to the opposite side of campus in search of a functional vending machine. As he walked, he occasionally glanced at the school’s windows, taking in the view. The rain from the morning had stopped several hours ago, though the sky was still overcast, and he imagined if he went outside, he’d feel a nice cool breeze. In the courtyard, he spotted a pair of students chattering. Shuichi and Kaede, it looked like, though he couldn’t hear what they were saying; Shuichi looked concerned about something, and Kaede was patting his shoulder consolingly. Kokichi took the opportunity to slip the glasses back on.

_Shuichi’s heart was displaying high numbers, which were only slowly going down the more that Kaede talked to him; His heartbeat was probably pounding, though for what reason, Kokichi could only guess. The numbers across his eyes kept rising and falling rapidly. Kaede, on the other hand, looked much more calm, and her numbers were steady all around. After a stretch of time, Shuichi’s numbers evened out, and he nodded at something that Kaede said. Kaede set one hand on her hip and raised the other arm in a “you can do it” gesture with a smile, and parted ways. Shuichi stayed outside, however._

Kokichi hummed to himself. Whatever conversation they had had, Shuichi seemed to be better off for it… at least, until the clouds from up above began to pour again, and he quickly ran inside to avoid getting even more soaked from the sudden return of the downpour. Kokichi snickered as he removed the glasses and resumed his walk down the hallways, then turned the corner to get to the vending machine. After retrieving a bag of corn puffs with some spare change, he sat down on the floor and pulled out his phone.

* * *

FROM: Me (4:22 pm)  
So what do four hearts mean anyway?

FROM: Horny On Main (4:23 pm)  
it means your dream daddy is crushing on you

FROM: Horny On Main (4:23 pm)  
5 hearts means youre in the dating phase 6 hearts means youre serious about each other and you already know what 7 means

FROM: Horny On Main (4:24 pm)  
im surprised you already got a 4th heart tho

FROM: Me (4:24 pm)  
Obviously it was a cakewalk. I’m a master tactician.

FROM: Horny On Main (4:24 pm)  
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

FROM: Horny On Main (4:25 pm)  
tactician shmacktician

FROM: Horny On Main (4:25 pm)  
look hoekichi im gonna be real right now

FROM: Horny On Main (4:25 pm)  
as a friend (and i KNOW you think of me as one b/c my glasses dont lie) youre a pretty goddamn difficult guy to get used to

FROM: Me (4:26 pm)  
You think I don’t know that?

FROM: Horny On Main (4:27 pm)  
if you got a heart that quickly it probably means whoever already liked you and they just now realized it

FROM: Horny On Main (4:27 pm)  
so are you gonna tell me who it is or what???

FROM: Me (4:28 pm)  
I’m going to say… “what.”

FROM: Horny On Main (4:28 pm)  
bitch

* * *

Kokichi smirked at his phone, and put it back in his bookbag. _It can’t hurt to drag out the anticipation for a little while longer,_ he thought. _I wonder what her reaction will be._ He pushed that thought out of his mind for the time being and opened up the bag of corn puffs, but before he could pop one into his mouth, he saw the men’s room door swing open and a somewhat wet Shuichi walk out of it. Shuichi sighed and checked the hallway, but nearly froze on the spot when his eyes landed on Kokichi.

“Geez Shuichi, did the sink splash you that bad?” Kokichi greeted him.

“Ah, um, no,” Shuichi said. “I got caught in the rain and was trying to dry myself off with one of the hand-dryers in the bathroom.”

“Yikes.”

Kokichi’s phone buzzed in his bookbag.

_Buzz, buzz._

Shuichi raised an eyebrow.

“Are you going to get that?”

Kokichi tapped a finger to his mouth, and said, “Nah, it’s probably just a member of my organization texting me to let me know the heist was a success!”

“Heist…?” Shuichi asked.

“Yup. Any organization worth its salt would have experts in all areas of criminal activity, including theft. I commanded some of my underlings to steal some precious jewelry from a museum to strike fear into the hearts of the general populace.”

Shuichi looked as though he wanted to question Kokichi further, but thought better of it.

“Since you’re here, I kind of wanted to ask you about something.”

Kokichi tilted his head, a silent urge for Shuichi to continue.

_Buzz, buzz._

“Do you know if—”

_Buzz, buzz._

“...”

“...”

“...Nevermind.”

Kokichi silently cursed his luck for letting Miu (or whoever was texting him) distract Shuichi enough to psyche him out of whatever he was going to say.

_Wait. Maybe there’s a way I can salvage this._

“Well, I should probably answer that. Sorry Shuichi, it looks like we’re going to have to cut this conversation short.” He paused for effect, and added, “But if you want to talk later, I could always give you my number!”

Shuichi’s eyes widened, just slightly.

“That would… be nice, actually.”

_Huh. It actually worked._

Kokichi grinned and opened his bookbag, got out a pen, and proceeded to jot his number down… on Shuichi’s hand.

“Remember, no dick pics!” Kokichi said as he capped the marker, and hustled away.

Once he was at a distance where he could safely check his phone, he looked at his unread messages, and frowned.

* * *

FROM: Horny On Main (4:30 pm)  
i just remembered you need to get back over here soon

FROM: Horny On Main (4:31 pm)  
those glasses arent gonna stay juiced forever and i never gave you the charger

FROM: Horny On Main (4:31 pm)  
lmao “juiced”

* * *

One trek to Miu’s dorm later, and Kokichi was seated on her bed once again. He looked at the small device that Miu had given him, which looked like a small plastic hockey puck with a single LED light and a plug cord sticking out of it.

“How am I supposed to use this?” He asked.

“You plug it in and set the glasses on top of it,” Miu explained as she searched the floor for a missing something-or-other. “It’s basically a wireless charger. The LED on the base will blink as the glasses charge, and then it’ll beep when they’re done.”

Kokichi looked at the device in his hands, surprised at how simple it was.

“So, now that you’re here, I’m gonna ask again: Are you ready to tell me about your dirty little virgin crush?” Miu asked, standing up from the floor and triumphantly holding up what she had been searching for: A pair of pliers.

“I don’t know why you’re so invested in my romance, Miu. Are you making up for the fact that you’re having trouble finding non-weirdos to slut it up with?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out!” Miu said, and looked at Kokichi expectantly.

Kokichi hummed and took a moment to weigh his options.

_Telling her outright that it’s Shuichi wouldn’t be any fun for either of us. She never takes things easy anyway, so I don’t think she’ll get mad if she has to work for it. Maybe if I make a deal with her, I can get her to help me with a project later. Oh, or I could turn it into a guessing game of some sort. That would be fun too. Man, talk about a tough decision._

 

**→Make a deal**  
**→Play a game**

* * *

POLL CLOSED ON 8/10/2018! 


	4. Play a game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi grimaced. It was true; He always had trouble being creative when he was embarrassed, which was why he forced himself to avoid embarrassment as often as he could. Inconvenient, and probably unhealthy, but a necessity nonetheless. He tried to focus his energy on re-shuffling the cards and put them back into their little box, and set the deck and the glasses charger into his bookbag. Miu looked at him, and when he looked back at her, he could see a lingering trace of guilt in her expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time around, the poll was really close! While 47 of you guys voted to make a deal, 53 voted to play a game. But perhaps making a deal with Miu might have benefitted you in the future...? Or not. Who knows?
> 
> I apologize for the delay, I'm trying to continue working on the next batch of pages in The Comic Where Shuichi Reads Minds, along with juggling prep for the beginning of class, and other unrelated projects. I hope this chapter was worth the wait!

“Well, since you’re soooo eager to know who I’ve got my eyes on, I don’t suppose you’d mind upping the ante a little bit?” Kokichi said, grinning. “Let’s play a little game, you and I.”

“No way, munchkin!” Miu said quickly. “The last time we played a ‘game’, you drove a knife through one of your fingers and nearly had to get stitches!”

“Come on, that was _one time,”_ Kokichi insisted, and added, “Besides, this time the game will be much less dangerous. For me, that is.”

Miu watched with curiosity as Kokichi reached into his schoolbag, and pulled out a deck of cards. He ceremoniously presented the deck to Miu with a bow, who looked at it and frowned.

“Do I even want to know why you have a deck of Uno cards in your bag?”

Kokichi snickered, and said, “For times like this, duh! Now here’s how we’re going to play— For every time you win, I’ll tell you a truthful detail about my crush. For every time I win…” He paused for dramatic effect, “You have to let me use your phone to text Kiibo.”

Miu grimaced. “Seriously? I don’t even want to imagine what kind of nasty stuff you’ll send to him.”

With a bored expression, Kokichi continued, “Fine, fine. I guess you don’t want to know who it is after all. In that case, I’ll just leave with the charger.”

Miu practically wilted at the news.

“Okay okay okay, you win. I’ll play your game. But you’d better not give me any bullshit answers…”

Kokichi smirked.

“Now why would I ever do that?”

* * *

**Victory for Kokichi.**

FROM: Me (4:52 pm)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAGa2J57CZc

_FROM: Kiibo ♥ (4:53 pm)_  
_I don’t understand…_

 

**Victory for Kokichi.**

FROM: Me (5:24 pm)  
01110011 01110101 01100011 01100011

_FROM: Kiibo ♥ (5:24 pm)_  
_Why are you texting me this?_

 

**Victory for Miu.**

“Ha, I let you win that one.”

“Just give me the details.”

“His shirt has buttons on it.”

 

**Victory for Kokichi.**

FROM: Me (5:39 pm)  
Has anyone really been far as decided to use even go want to do look more like?

_FROM: Kiibo ♥ (5:40 pm)_  
_That sentence was entirely illogical. Are you alright?_

 

**Victory for Miu.**

“He’s not super buff.”

“So you’re really not interested in Gonta’s monster cock? Hah, boring.”

 

**Victory for Kokichi.**

FROM: Me (6:02 pm)  
i.imgur.com/6RpTZgI.gif

_FROM: Kiibo ♥ (6:02 pm)_  
_Is this even Miu I’m talking to? Please return her phone, thief!_

 

**Victory for Miu.**

“He’s taller than me.”

“That could be anyone!”

* * *

“Alright, I’m done for,” Miu said dejectedly. “It’s already dinner time, and I’m never gonna get anywhere if we keep playing stupid games of Uno.”

Kokichi frowned. “You’re seriously giving up after only seven games?”

“Look cuckichi, I’m hungry, and trying to pry information out of you is sapping all my tolerance for bullshit,” Miu complained.

Kokichi looked at her for a moment, and after deeming that she was being sincere, shrugged and said, “Alright, fine. Since you entertained me enough to kill the time until dinner, I guess I can tell you who it is.”

Miu perked up, but looked at him suspiciously.

“No lying?”

“None at all,” Kokichi said, and hesitated for a moment. “It’s Shuichi.”

Miu stared at him for a grand total of three seconds, before bursting out into loud, unrestrained laughter. Kokichi willed himself to avoid blushing. It wasn’t that funny… was it?

“God, that’s fuckin’ hilarious! The little lying virgin is in love with the big honest virgin! You two are made for each other!” She cackled, and tried to regain her breath, only succeeding in making herself laugh again every time she calmed down.

“Alright, you can stop laughing now, you whore,” Kokichi gritted out.

“Really, the best insult you can think for me right now is ‘whore’?” Miu said, finally letting her laughter die down, “I know you can do better than that.”

Kokichi grimaced. It was true; He always had trouble being creative when he was embarrassed, which was why he forced himself to avoid embarrassment as often as he could. Inconvenient, and probably unhealthy, but a necessity nonetheless. He tried to focus his energy on re-shuffling the cards and put them back into their little box, and set the deck and the glasses charger into his bookbag. Miu looked at him, and when he looked back at her, he could see a lingering trace of guilt in her expression.

“How do you fit all that shit into your bag?” She asked, and Kokichi realized she was trying to change the subject.

“Very carefully,” He responded.

And all was forgiven… for the time being.

* * *

After returning to his room, Kokichi plugged the charger in and set it on his nightstand, then set the glasses on them. Just as Miu said, the charger’s light started blinking. He briefly lamented the fact that he wouldn’t be able to use them for a few hours, but let the feeling fade as he made his way to the cafeteria.

Dinner was a surprisingly extravagant affair that night; Lobster croissant sandwiches with a side of roasted and seasoned potato wedges, sparkling fruit juice, and a slice of chocolate coffee cake. Kokichi suspected that the ultimate chef had managed to weasel his way into the kitchen again, but it wasn’t like he was going to complain. As he received his tray, he glanced around the cafeteria; Looking at everyone, he realized for the first time that evening that he was oddly alone. He couldn’t spot Shuichi anywhere in the cafeteria (though if he was making his own food lately, it was understandable,) Miu was off talking to Kiibo and someone from another class (the ultimate programmer, he thought;) Angie was enthusiastically talking to Korekiyo about something-or-other that Kokichi was sure he wouldn’t want to be involved with; Maki and Kaito were… not options, and everyone else seemed to be preoccupied.

That is, aside from Kirumi.

Suddenly, he was struck with an idea.

“Kirumi! I need to ask for your motherly help!” He cried out as he approached the ultimate maid.

“I believe I have requested that you not address me as your mother…” Kirumi said, but nodded in a sign for him to continue anyway.

“Can you teach me how to make a bento?” Kokichi asked, stars in his eyes.

Clearly not expecting that question, Kirumi’s expression flickered to one of shock before she quickly schooled it back to her gentle yet distanced appearance.

“If it is your wish, I would be more than happy to assist. May I ask why you desire to learn this skill?” She said politely.

“Well,” Kokichi answered innocently, “I’ve got a super big crush on a classmate and I want to be all romantic and express my ooey-gooey feelings for them by making the best lunch they’ve ever eaten.”

Kirumi looked at him skeptically.

“Just kidding, I’m secretly planning on poisoning someone and I need to find a way to discreetly slip the drug into their food without risking hurting someone else in the process!”

Repressing a sigh, Kirumi said, “I suppose I’ll never understand your true motives. Nonetheless, if it will satisfy you, then I will oblige your request.”

Kokichi grinned widely. Of course, neither of his explanations were the truth. He did have an ulterior motive, but like hell he was going to share a secret that would make him look so vulnerable. And so, he sat down next to Kirumi, and discussed the details of their arrangement as they ate: They would meet up after lunch on Saturday, and Kirumi would teach him how to make a Makunouchi. It would most likely be an all-afternoon affair since Kokichi was a beginner, but Kirumi assured him it would be well worth the time, especially when they were able to eat them afterward.

Kokichi smiled, a plan already beginning to formulate in his head.

* * *

As Kokichi returned to his room, he rifled through his bookbag in search of his phone. When he finally found it among the mess of his notebooks, writing supplies, and miscellaneous other items, he checked what its battery power, and was pleasantly surprised to see a text from an “unknown number”, which was definitely Shuichi. He quickly added the number to his contacts.

_FROM: Shumai (7:03 pm)_  
_Hey. Sorry for not getting back to you earlier, I had a few things to take care of._

FROM: Me (7:03 pm)  
Who is this? I think you have the wrong number.

_FROM: Shumai (7:06 pm)_  
_Sorry, I didn’t realize…_

FROM: Me (7:06 pm)  
That was a lie. You should have known I’d never give you a fake number, Shuichi!

_FROM: Shumai (7:07 pm)_  
_…_

FROM: Me (7:08 pm)  
Those ellipses hurt me. How m-mean of you to doubt me!

_FROM: Shumai (7:09 pm)_  
_Did you just type out a stutter?_

FROM: Me (7:09 pm)  
Maybe!

FROM: Me (7:10)  
So, what was it you wanted to tell me earlier?

_FROM: Shumai (7:13 pm)_  
_I wanted to ask if you knew if you had any free time on Saturday._

FROM: Me (7:14 pm)  
Hmm, I’m actually supposed to be hanging out with Kirumi all afternoon, but I can probably make time just for you later that night!

_FROM: Shumai (7:15 pm)_  
_I’d appreciate that._

_FROM: Shumai (7:16 pm)_  
_Just… don’t forget, okay?_

* * *

Kokichi stared at his phone, pensive. He’d confirmed that he would be able to hang out with Shuichi, but with that said, he knew the conversation would likely end. A part of him wanted to press Shuichi further, perhaps to see if he could find out the nature of their meeting- would it be a confession? Or was it too soon for that? Then again, he was relatively sure that pressing too hard might scare Shuichi off. He briefly considered sending Shuichi something silly instead, perhaps to ease Shuichi’s mood, or perhaps because he had nobody else to pester that night. Or maybe he should consider contacting one of the members of DICE to ask for advice before proceeding— he’d need someone to discuss his plan with, after all.

Too many options were available, but he knew he had to decide before too long. And so, after a quick internal debate, he chose to…

**→Press the conversation further**  
**→Send something silly to lighten the mood**  
**→Contact a member of DICE**

POLL CLOSED ON 8/13/2018! 


	5. Send something silly to lighten the mood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi had been in a good mood all morning as he prepared himself for a busy start to his weekend. During the morning he spent his free time people-watching, occasionally fussing with his phone when nobody was around. At about noon, he received a simple text from Shuichi, requesting that they meet at the rooftop of the academy at seven-thirty that evening. It was terribly cliché for a discreet meeting place, but Kokichi agreed anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I'm absolutely amazed by the amount of enthusiasm I've received for this fic so far ;u; You're all wonderful for reading/kudos'ing/commenting/voting. It makes my day so much brighter!
> 
> And, I hope I'll make your day brighter by presenting you with this chapter... huehuehue.

Kokichi squinted at his phone, determined to find a way to ease the anxious mood. He briefly considered sending a joke, but a situation like this would require more tact. _God, when did I start being so over-analytical?_

Quickly scanning his room, he discovered… that it was a horrible mess. Pictures and markers and papers littered his desk (some of which he still needed to add to his whiteboard,) there were several empty soda bottles on the floor, a small cardboard box with contents that he forgot, and the occasional article of clothing lying around.

“Man, I need to clean up sometime,” Kokichi said to himself, picking up a sock from the floor.

_...Wait a minute._

* * *

FROM: Me (7:19 pm)  
Don’t worry about it. ‘Elephant’ is my middle name, after all.

FROM: Me (7:20 pm)  
Actually it’s Darwin, but don’t tell anyone.

_FROM: Shumai (7:21 pm)_  
_What do elephants have to do with this?_

FROM: Me (7:23 pm)  
[[IMAGE ATTACHMENT]](https://i.imgur.com/EFcdVjt.png)

FROM: Me (7:23 pm)  
Cause elephants never forget!

_FROM: Shumai (7:25 pm)_  
_I’m not sure how to respond to that._

FROM: Me (7:26 pm)  
You could always send me a picture back. Let me see how creative you can be!

_FROM: Shumai (7:29 pm)_  
_…_

_FROM: Shumai (7:32 pm)_  
_[[IMAGE ATTACHMENT]](https://i.imgur.com/K6WeX0Y.png) _

_FROM: Shumai (7:32 pm)_  
_Is this creative enough?_

FROM: Me (7:33)  
It’s acceptable.

FROM: Me (7:34 pm)  
Anyway, I’ve got a lot of schoolwork to do, but you can expect me to send more photos later!

FROM: Me (7:34 pm)  
*WINK*

_FROM: Shumai (7:36 pm)_  
_I’ll look forward to them._

* * *

If Kokichi had less self-restraint, he might have clutched his phone to his chest and made a happy noise. As tempted as he was, though, he held himself back. He was a mature quasi-adult, and… oh, hell, he couldn’t think that with a straight face.

It was only after he set his phone down that he realized he did, in fact, have schoolwork to do. _For a school so dedicated to cultivating talent, they sure like to make us do boring subjects,_ he thought as he sat down at his desk chair and opened one of the drawers to remove his chemistry textbook. Flipping through the assigned reading, then moving onto mathematics, history, and literature, he found himself unaware of how much time had passed. His studies were only interrupted by the beeping of the charger, signalling that the glasses were ready to be worn again, and a quick look at the clock on the nightstand revealed that it was nearing ten. The sudden awareness of the passage of time made him yawn.

Once he had gotten himself ready for bed and laid down under the covers, he took one last glance at the glasses, and closed his eyes.

* * *

Friday was hardly noteworthy.

Well, that wasn’t quite true.

Friday was noteworthy, but only for the fact that Kokichi had hardly talked to anyone that day. As tempted as he was to approach Shuichi and talk to him, part of him wanted to savor the anticipation of their upcoming conversation. That, and whenever Kokichi looked at Shuichi in class, Shuichi would only briefly make eye contact and then quickly glance away— clearly he’d be hard to talk to. Miu, on the other hand, was throwing herself into another project, and from the way she had described it, a salacious smile on her face, surely it was something… unsavory, at best.

The glasses did little to help his boredom that day, aside from when he eavesdropped on a conversation between Angie and Tenko to see both of their heart numbers rising as they barely restrained an argument.

All in all, an uneventful day.

Saturday, however, was a completely different story.

Kokichi had been in a good mood all morning as he prepared himself for a busy start to his weekend. During the morning he spent his free time people-watching, occasionally fussing with his phone when nobody was around. At about noon, he received a simple text from Shuichi, requesting that they meet at the rooftop of the academy at seven-thirty that evening. It was terribly cliché for a discreet meeting place, but Kokichi agreed anyway.

When two-thirty in the afternoon rolled around, Kokichi headed to the academy’s home economics kitchen— the meeting place for his lesson with Kirumi.

In retrospect, he shouldn’t have been surprised that Kirumi had somehow managed to acquire an abundance of all of the necessary ingredients within such a short amount of free time, especially considering that her savings as a high-profile maid allowed her to afford some of the more expensive items.

“I will warn you,” She said, unpacking a jar of pickled radish slices, “I will not go easy on you. If you wish to make a perfect bento, you will need precision and discipline.”

“Roger that,” Kokichi said, saluting.

_How hard could it be?_

(Apparently, very.)

“The mackerel is too salty,” Kirumi commented. “You’ve also added too much black sesame seeds to the rice, and the burdock was cooked too long.”

“Seriously?!” Kokichi cried out, pinching the bridge of his nose, “This is like, the third time I’ve made some sort of mistake!”

“Fourth,” Kirumi corrected mercilessly.

“Ugh, how many times did you mess this up when you were learning?”

“Zero.”

Kokichi stared at her blankly.

“What if I just gave up now?”

Kirumi closed her eyes and pressed a gloved finger to her chin.

“I suppose if you’re willing to present an imperfect bento to whomever, then now would be an excellent place to stop.”

Kokichi flinched. _For someone who lives to serve, Kirumi sure can be ruthless when ordering others around._

“I guess we’ll have to start over again. Fifth time’s the charm.”

Forty-five minutes later, Kokichi found himself biting his nails as Kirumi daintily sampled each bit of food. When she was done, she looked at him with a stern glance.

“You’ve made one mistake.”

Kokichi screamed internally.

“What could I have _possibly_ done wrong?” He gritted out, and... earned a quiet laugh in response.

“You haven’t gotten to taste it yet. That is your mistake,” Kirumi said, her stern look giving way to a warm smile. “This bento is perfect in every way. Congratulations, Kokichi. You’ve done well.”

Kokichi looked at her, dumbfounded.

“Did you just… make a joke?”

Kirumi frowned, and said, “Is that not acceptable? I wished to serve your sense of humor, though it was rather unbecoming of me to assume…”

Before Kirumi could spiral into a conversation of hyper self-awareness, Kokichi snatched the bento box and chopsticks out of her hands, shoving the contents into his mouth one by one. Each bite was delicious, and eventually, when he had tasted everything, he let out a satisfied sigh.

“Wow, I can’t believe that actually worked! Hey, do you think you can hang on to some of those ingredients? I’m gonna need them later,” He asked excitedly.

“Of course,” Kirumi curtsied, and began to pack up the non-perishables. As she did, she took a glance at the wall clock, and frowned. “Ah, it’s almost seven. If I had realized it was getting this late, I might have waited to complete our lesson tomorrow.”

Kokichi swore under his breath, and set down the box. The trip to his dorm room to retrieve the glasses and then to the rooftop to meet Shuichi would take a while, since he essentially had to travel across the sprawling campus and then back again. Without waiting to clean up or finish his meal, he rushed out the door.

* * *

Kokichi made it to the rooftop with three minutes to spare. Not that it mattered much, because Shuichi was already there, sitting close to the railing with a bag from the apparent nearby grocery store by his side. Kokichi briefly wondered if Shuichi had been waiting for him, and if so, for how long, but he brushed those thoughts aside. He adjusted his glasses, and coughed to get Shuichi’s attention.

“Ah, you’re here,” Shuichi said, and Kokichi couldn’t tell if the airiness of his voice was from relief or anxiety. Knowing Shuichi, it could be either.

“I said I would be. Do you think I’d break a promise to you?” Kokichi said, prepared to release crocodile tears.

Shuichi only smiled and held out his hand to offer him a bottle of soda after fishing it out of the bag.

_And of course, he knew which flavor is my favorite. It’s cute how he remembered. Not that I was being sneaky about it, though,_ Kokichi thought.

A long look at Shuichi told Kokichi that, despite his smile, Shuichi was incredibly nervous; His heart’s numbers were sky high, rapidly going from the high seventies to the low nineties in the matter of roughly ten seconds, his cheeks were struggling to go below fifty, and oddly enough, his hands were rising and falling erratically. Kokichi wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“Can you please stop staring at me? It’s really unnerving,” Shuichi asked, snapping Kokichi out of his thoughts.

Kokichi opened the bottle, a quiet _‘whish’_ sound releasing from the cap, and looked out at the sky. The sun was just beginning to set, giving the distant cityscape and everything around them a soft glow. There was a semi-comfortable silence for several minutes, only occasionally interrupted by the sound of Kokichi swallowing large gulps of his soda. He had to admit, it was a cozy atmosphere; The soon-to-be-night was warm, the soda was cool, and the physical proximity to Shuichi was welcome.

_And it’s just the two of us._

“So,” Kokichi said after a while, “Why did you call me up here? As neat as the sunset is, I can’t help but feel like you have some motive.”

And with that, Shuichi’s numbers skyrocketed again. Most notably, the numbers on his cheeks rose, which led Kokichi to believe that he was blushing— in the light of the fading sun, it was kind of hard to tell.

“About that…” Shuichi began, but trailed off, apparently looking for the right words to say.

“Oh, don’t tell me— you’re planning on pushing me off the ledge!” Kokichi said excitedly.

“What? No!” Shuichi said, furrowing his brows.

“Jeez, you really are nervous about something, aren’t you? Normally your reaction wouldn’t be so visceral!”

Shuichi frowned, and glanced away.

_Oops, maybe I shouldn’t have said that._

“Kokichi…” Shuichi began, and took a deep breath, “I know you tend to mess around often, and you, ah, you lie a lot, even to me, but…”

“But…?” Kokichi urged.

“But I still consider you one of the closest friends to me. You always keep me on my toes, and trying to figure you out is a mystery I’ll probably never solve. But for some reason, that’s not as frustrating as it should be.”

Kokichi tilted his head. “And?”

“And,” Shuichi said, somewhat quietly, “I think, along the way, that line of friendship, for me at least, got kind of blurry.”

Kokichi smiled, only partially teasing. “Oh, I see! So this is a confession of your undying love!”

Shuichi glanced away.

“I wouldn’t say ‘love’, really. I don’t think it’s strong or solid enough, but I do feel something for you that I can’t really identify all that well.”

Kokichi stared at Shuichi again, thinking for a while, and finally pushed the glasses up confidently.

While he had never been in a situation like this before, he had seen enough interactions (whether fictional or real) to know that he needed to be firm in his response. As the Ultimate Supreme Leader, he needed confidence, planning, intuition, and perhaps emotional openness to determine his next move. Some he was familiar with, others not so much. But he could do this, couldn’t he?

“I think I know how to help you identify it,” Kokichi said.

 

**→Go in for a kiss**  
**→Ease into conversation with a game**

* * *

(Poll closed on 8/17/2018!) 


	6. Ease into conversation with a game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi’s hand fell to his side as he looked at Kokichi with wide eyes.
> 
> Despite the urge to avoid Shuichi’s gaze, to avoid the numbers crossing his vision, to avoid the reality that he had essentially laid a rather large part of his soul bare for Shuichi to witness, to avoid the vulnerability of letting Shuichi know the truth… he didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeesh, you guys are doing so well at this point... it makes me feel like I'm not challenging you enough.
> 
> Shall I change that?
> 
> (Seriously though, I've been overwhelmed by the amount of support you guys have been giving this fic. I read every comment that I get even though I can't really respond to them all and I appreciate every one of them. I'm so happy you're all enjoying this so far ;u; )

“How about we play a game?” Kokichi suggested, grinning.

“What kind of game?” Shuichi asked carefully.

Kokichi sat with his legs crossed, and placed his hands behind him to lean on his back. The sunlight was beginning to fade, and if he wasn’t looking at Shuichi with such determination, he might have seen the first few stars begin to show.

“How about two lies and a truth?” Kokichi suggested.

“Isn’t is usually the other way around? Two truths and a lie?” Shuichi said, furrowing his brows.

“Yeah, but lying is full of more possibilities. And it’d be better for me. You know, because I’m a liar.”

Shuichi looked at Kokichi for several long moments, mulling it over. His heartbeat appeared to have stabilized, meaning he was becoming comfortable again, which was a silent relief for Kokichi.

“Sure. But, you go first,” Shuichi finally said, right as the sun left their view.

“Hmm,” Kokichi pretended to think, “How about this? First, my birth name was actually Smelborp.”

“What?” Shuichi said, taken aback.

“Second, I’m secretly working a job as an opera singer,” Kokichi continued.

Shuichi looked at him with bated breath.

“And third…” Kokichi paused, “I love it when you look at me like I’m important to you.”

“Kokichi—”

“Ah ah ah,” Kokichi reached out and waggled a finger at Shuichi, “All you have to do is guess.”

Shuichi swallowed, and glanced down.

“I guess… the third is the truth?”

“Yeah, you got me!” Kokichi cheered with a lopsided grin. “But that was easy for you, wasn’t it? So now it’s your turn!”

“Ahaha,” Shuichi laughed nervously.

Kokichi watched him carefully as he thought.

“How about… I’m a habitual arsonist…”

“Wow, really?”

“N— Anyway, I…” Shuichi focused on him nervously, “...think you look cute when you smile at me. Not like one of those forced or lying smiles, but… a genuine smile.”

Kokichi’s eyes widened slightly, and he struggled to keep his jaw from going slack.

“And… uh, my hair is actually bright red, but I dye it,” Shuichi finished awkwardly.

After a beat of silence, Kokichi hummed.

“I dunno, you do seem like the type to enjoy setting things on fire—”

“Kokichi—”

“But, I’m going to guess you like my smile,” Kokichi finished, almost struggling to let the last words slip loose.

“Your turn again,” Shuichi said quietly.

Kokichi reached for the now-empty bottle of soda and fussed with the cap, fighting to stave off a blush.

“First, I… think you look cute when you’re trying to solve problems.”

Shuichi was hardly looking at him. Not that Kokichi could blame him.

“Second, I’m a war criminal from Peru, third, I own a box full of blackmail letters from famous world politicians.”

“The... first is… true.” Shuichi said, almost asking.

“Your turn,” Kokichi responded.

Shuichi looked deep in thought. Kokichi spared a glance at him, hoping his glasses would tell him something, anything. All he could see was the rapid fluctuation of the numbers on Shuichi’s heart.

(Maybe he’d ask Miu for an upgrade.)

“First, I’m actually a vampire,” Shuichi started, “Second, I’m secretly a billionaire, and third…” He took a deep breath, and said, “You make my days a lot more exciting.”

“Good exciting?” Kokichi wondered out loud.

“Maybe.”

“I thought teasing was my job,” Kokichi teased, mostly to hide how flustered he was getting. “Let’s see… how about this?” He added, and looked up at the sky, which was steadily growing darker, letting himself find strength in the glow of the stars. “First, I think you’re the most trustworthy out of all our classmates… Second, I like getting your attention more than anyone else’s, and... Third, I’ve been crushing on you for the last half-year.”

Shuichi ran a set of fingers through his hair, and from what Kokichi could see of him in the slivers of light, he looked like he wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Trick question,” Kokichi said, carefully. “They were all true.”

Shuichi’s hand fell to his side as he looked at Kokichi with wide eyes.

Despite the urge to avoid Shuichi’s gaze, to avoid the numbers crossing his vision, to avoid the reality that he had essentially laid a rather large part of his soul bare for Shuichi to witness, to avoid the vulnerability of _letting Shuichi know the truth…_ he didn’t.

He did, however, accidentally crush the bottle of soda he was still holding when Shuichi blurted out—

“Can I kiss you?”

“What?”

Shuichi flinched, but remained resolute (or as resolute as he could under the current conditions, Kokichi guessed) as he continued to look forward.

“I mean, if you’ve been crushing on me for that long, and I know I’m still trying to sort through my own emotions, I thought, maybe, I could try it?”

Kokichi continued to stare at him.

“Now that I said that out loud, I guess it sounds kind of lame,” Shuichi said, looking away. “And I’m not even sure if I’d—”

“Yes.”

“...What?”

“Yes. Please. Kiss me. Fuck, do you know how long I’ve been wanting to kiss you? I was like, forty-four percent ready to plant one on you before we even started talking about this,” Kokichi said.

“That’s an oddly specific number,” Shuichi said, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. “So how are we doing this?”

Kokichi hummed, and carefully removed his glasses. He felt a bit bare without them, but this was too important of a moment to potentially be bumping together awkwardly. Once his glasses were safely set aside, he reached for Shuichi’s hands.

“Do you need me to tell you how the rest of this goes, or can you figure it out?” Kokichi joked.

“I think I can handle it from here.”

With no more words needed between them, the two slowly let their faces get closer, closer…

It was a brief but firm kiss, lasting less than two seconds, and yet something inside Kokichi felt like it had been ignited. As they pulled away, Kokichi immediately clamped down on the urge to make any embarrassing sounds.

“That was…” Shuichi began hesitantly, “Really nice.”

Kokichi shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “If you liked it that much, you can do it again any time.”

“Maybe later,” Shuichi said. “We should probably get back to the dorms now, before it gets too dark.”

“You can go on ahead. I want to stay up here for a little bit longer.”

“If you’re sure,” Shuichi nodded, and made his way to the rooftop’s exit.

Kokichi carefully removed his glasses from the case, and put them on. He could ignore the numbers that were popping up; They didn’t tell him that much anymore. All that mattered at the moment was the line of hearts, four full, one jittering, and two empty.

 _The heart isn’t full yet,_ Kokichi thought to himself as Shuichi finally left. _So I guess I need to up my game._

* * *

FROM: Me (8:49 pm)  
I need an upgrade for the RSG.

FROM: Horny On Main (8:53 pm)  
seriously??? theyre already bitchin as it is what more do you need???

FROM: Me (8:54 pm)  
The numbers aren’t telling me anything anymore.

FROM: Me (8:55 pm)  
And I’m pretty sure I’m narrowly missing some major mess-ups.

FROM: Horny On Main (8:55 pm)  
did screwichi already lose a heart or smth

FROM: Me (8:59 pm)  
You didn’t tell me that was possible what the hell?!

FROM: Horny On Main (9:00 pm)  
DUH its possible

FROM: Horny On Main (9:00 pm)  
i told you this isnt like a videogame

FROM: Horny On Main (9:00 pm)  
you can still fuck things up relationship wise and thats natural

FROM: Me (9:01 pm)  
Just tell me what kind of upgrades I can arm these things with

FROM: Horny On Main (9:02 pm)  
ask nicely like a good friend

FROM: Me (9:02 pm)  
… PLEASE tell me.

FROM: Horny On Main (9:03 pm)  
damn i cant believe that actually worked on the first try

FROM: Horny On Main (9:05 pm)  
since the glasses are so compact theres not much room for upgrades anyway so i can probs only fit you with one

FROM: Horny On Main (9:06 pm)  
youve got a couple options tho

FROM: Horny On Main (9:08 pm)  
i can set it up so you can see some sort of way to tell what kind of mood whoever is in

FROM: Horny On Main (9:09 pm)  
or i can set it up so if you cant think of words to say it can generate stuff for you

FROM: Horny On Main (9:10 pm)  
if you dont want either of those i could always make some cosmetic changes but thats just for funsies

FROM: Horny On Main (9:10 pm)  
so whutcha gonna get

* * *

**→Mood indicator**  
**→Word prompter**  
**→Cosmetics**

**Poll closed on 8/28/18!**


	7. Mood indicator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well, it’s almost three in the afternoon. How long have you been here?” Shuichi asked, a slight smile playing on his face.
> 
> Kokichi frowned, and said, “I got here at one-thirty, but I guess I was only napping for an hour.”
> 
> “And you were napping on the counter because…?” Shuichi asked, the gold glow around him turning more vibrant.
> 
>  _He thinks this is funny,_ Kokichi thought with some degree of embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHTY SO I have no real explanation for why this took a whole ten days to update. I did start classes again, so that was part of it, but honestly I should have had it done before then, and for that, I apologize. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it!
> 
> Let's see how easy it is to vote on this chapter ;D

FROM: Me (9:10 pm)  
Let’s go with the mood indicator.

FROM: Horny On Main (9:11 pm)  
can do

FROM: Horny On Main (9:11 pm)  
just meet me at my room tomorrow morning and ill have em ready by the afternoon

FROM: Me (9:12 pm)  
Will you actually be awake in the morning or will I have to lockpick your door again?

FROM: Horny On Main (9:13 pm)  
i sleep in the buff so dont even think about it

FROM: Horny On Main (9:13 pm)  
but youd be lucky just to get a glimpse of these gorgeous girls

FROM: Me (9:14 pm)  
I think I just barfed in my mouth a little.

* * *

Thankfully, as Kokichi knocked on Miu’s door the next morning at nine, she had already thrown on a loose shirt and underwear. It still wasn’t a really desirable sight, but it was better than nothing. Judging by her messier-than-normal hair, she hadn’t woken up that early. After stepping into her room and handing her the case, Kokichi sat on his usual space on the bed, and observed the room around him. It seemed more chaotic than usual, but that was probably because Miu was throwing herself into another project.

“So, what are you going to do to the glasses, and how long will it take?” Kokichi asked.

Miu yawned and took the glasses, examining them closely and humming to herself.

“I’ll make it so that you can see the main three emotions: Happiness, sadness, and anger. I’ll be color-coding them to be yellow, blue, and red, but I’ll have to see how I can fit it into the display without clogging up your vision.” She paused, and grinned. “Of course, for a genius like me, it’ll only take three hours, tops.”

“So what am I supposed to do for the next three hours, then?” Kokichi asked.

“How the hell should I know?” Miu said, “Go rub one out or something. I’m gonna be busy here.”

Kokichi blinked.

“Okay,” He said, and proceeded to unzip his pants.

“Not here, jackass!” Miu shrieked, and Kokichi cackled, until she attempted to smother him with a pillow.

“Fine, fine, I’ll leave you alone,” He said breathlessly, and zipped his pants back up, “But text me when you’re done. I wanna try them out as soon as possible.”

Miu huffed and twirled a strand of hair, with a muttered “Yeah, yeah.”

Kokichi stepped out of the room, once again unsure of what he should do. More than anything, he wanted to talk to someone (or just annoy them,) but there weren’t many prospects around so early on a Sunday morning. In the search for something interesting to do, he briefly thought back to his own bedroom, and remembered what a mess it was.

(Two hours and twenty-seven minutes later, in the midst of a cleaning frenzy, he’d gotten the text from Miu to let him know that the glasses were ready once again. He immediately dashed out the door, glad to be rid of responsibility for the time being.)

* * *

The afternoon brought the opportunity to use the glasses again, and this time, Kokichi was prepared to start putting his plan into action.

The first step was to find Kirumi, which was harder than it would seem. She was most likely serving someone, and with the size of the academy’s campus, she could have been anywhere. Kokichi checked her room, the dining hall, the tea room (which, until recently, he wasn’t aware it existed,) and the courtyard. Just as he was about to give up, however, he bumped into her in the hallway— right as she was finishing a call.

Kirumi’s eyes widened when she saw Kokichi, though her poker face was mostly intact. However, she had a strange, glowing effect around her, a deeply-colored indigo blue with just the slightest hint of purple. Kokichi supposed that must have meant she was sad, but perhaps a bit angry. He decided to be careful with his words.

Kirumi quickly put away her phone, and turned to fully face him.

“Do you require something?” She asked.

“Who were you calling?” Kokichi ignored her question in favor of his own.

“My employer,” Kirumi responded in a tone that was far too vague for Kokichi’s liking. “I’ve merely called to provide an update on my educational progress.”

“Sounds boring,” Kokichi said, after realizing that she would refuse to elaborate. He then grinned. “You still have the ingredients for the bento, right?”

“I do,” Kirumi said, but looked at Kokichi as the unspoken question of why he’d need them again so soon hung in the air.

 _I get the feeling that she’d quietly judge me if she knew what I was really up to,_ he thought, so instead, he asked her to help him pack several portion sizes of them up and carry them to the dorm kitchens.

After all was said and done, Kirumi bowed and excused herself from the kitchen. Another look at her revealed that her color had simmered down from a vibrant indigo to a paler cornflower blue. Most likely, the act of assisting another had calmed her down a bit.

_Interesting. I wonder what other uses I can get out of these things._

As he set up the supplies, he looked at the clock. It was still early, only just reaching half-past-one. He had plenty of time to kill before dinner, though he didn’t want to go back to cleaning his room yet again, so instead, he decided to hop onto the kitchen’s counter and play games on his phone. That could only hold his interest for so long, though, and before he knew it, he was lying back on the counter, his eyes slowly drifting shut…

“Kokichi?”

Kokichi woke up with a jolt, nearly falling onto the floor. He craned his head to look for the source of the voice, and relaxed slightly when it was only Shuichi. A pale gold glow surrounded him; He must have been happy.

“Oh, it’s you. How long have I been out of it?”

“Well, it’s almost three in the afternoon. How long have you been here?” Shuichi asked, a slight smile playing on his face.

Kokichi frowned, and said, “I got here at one-thirty, but I guess I was only napping for an hour.”

“And you were napping on the counter because…?” Shuichi asked, the gold glow around him turning more vibrant.

 _He thinks this is funny,_ Kokichi thought with some degree of embarrassment.

“Because I was kicked out of my dorm room, duh.”

Shuichi looked perplexed.

“Why? What happened?”

“Oh? You didn’t hear the news?” Kokichi said innocently, “Someone in the reserve course planted a bomb in the school’s library and accused me of putting it there. The school sent in a bunch of staff members to search my room in fear that I’d make another one, but I was able to slip away from their grasp. Of course, I’m sending some of my underlings to take care of the situation, if you know what I mean.”

“Please tell me that’s a lie,” Shuichi said, looking distinctly afraid.

Kokichi shrugged; “You can always go to the library and find out for yourself.”

“Or I could just investigate your dorm room.”

“Yeah, you might not wanna do that, the place is a mess,” Kokichi said.

Shuichi still looked unsure as to whether or not Kokichi was telling the truth, but apparently he decided not to question it. Instead, he asked, “So what were you planning on doing here? Surely there are more comfortable places to sleep than on a counter.”

“I was putting away supplies and I got sleepy.”

“What kind of supplies?” Shuichi pressed.

“Bento ingredients. I decided to follow your lead and make one of my own!” Kokichi said cheerfully, avoiding the fact that he had planned on “accidentally” making too much and sharing some of it with Shuichi the next day.

“I didn’t know you knew how,” Shuichi raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, y’know, I’m a man of many skills,” Kokichi said, and was suddenly struck with inspiration. “Hey, I have an idea! We could make one together and save it for lunch tomorrow!”

_This is a way better idea than the one I had before._

Shuichi seemed to mull it over, but agreed when Kokichi assured him that it wouldn’t be boring.

As they worked together, Kokichi made sure to observe Shuichi when there were idle moments. As they boiled eggs, cut pickled carrot slices into cute little flowers, cooked rice, and so much more, Shuichi’s colors grew more and more golden, his numbers soared higher and higher, and most importantly, Kokichi noted the fifth heart was shaking again. It was oh-so-close to being full, and Kokichi couldn’t resist the urge to tease Shuichi a bit.

“So, does this count as a date?”

Instead of the expected reaction of a blush and sputter, Shuichi tapped his finger to his chin, looking pensive.

“You tell me— is it?”

Kokichi nearly let his jaw drop. He hadn’t been expecting the sudden reversal of the roles, and seeing Shuichi’s usually-dormant confidence return in the form of his questioning was… kind of hot, really. For once, he wasn’t one-hundred-percent sure how to respond.

“Well, we’re sharing an activity, we’ve established that we both have some sort of feelings for each other, and if I’m not mistaken, you’ve been looking at me more than normal. That must mean something right?” Kokichi said, hoping his amazement didn’t show too much, and added, “Unless you’re toying with my emotions… how mean of you! And here I was, baring my heart and soul in a passionate confession!”

Shuichi raised his hands defensively, fighting off a blush. _Much better,_ Kokichi thought.

“Wait, I was the one who invited you up to the roof for a confession! And we already kissed, don’t you think that’s proof enough that I have some sort of feelings for you?”

Kokichi looked at Shuichi, and smiled innocently.

“Sure it is. And, I hope I get to kiss you again sometime soon. _Really_ soon.”

“That’s…” Shuichi said, and trailed off— he was clearly losing his struggle against the blush.

_Just a bit more…_

Kokichi placed his hands behind his back and approached Shuichi slowly, carefully.

“You know, you look really cute when you’re embarrassed. Would you blush even deeper if I kissed you right here, right now?”

“What the—?”

Kokichi and Shuichi both tensed at the sound of a third voice. Slowly, they both turned their gaze to the kitchen’s entryway, only to be faced with a very startled Kaito.

“Uh, I’m not... interrupting anything, am I?”

_Shit. Think fast, Kokichi._

**→Blatantly lie**  
**→Exaggerate the truth**  
**→Dodge the question**

* * *

Poll closed on 9/3/2018! 


	8. Exaggerate the truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shortly after the incident, he’d texted the members of DICE; His second-in-command, who he’d affectionately dubbed One-Eye, had advised him to give Shuichi space for the next few days, and then go in for the kill… metaphorically speaking. Kokichi would have to be sincere— no lies, no theatrics, and most importantly, no escapism. The thought of complying to any of those three rules, especially when he would be placing himself in a vulnerable state, made him grit his teeth. 
> 
> But he’d do it for Shuichi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go: The "angst" tag has been officially added to this fic! (Don't worry, it won't be too bad... maybe.)
> 
> I have a lot more that I could say about this chapter, but in the interest of not spoiling too much, I'll just present it as it is. Please enjoy!

“Well obviously you were about to interrupt a steamy makeout session!” Kokichi said quickly.

Kaito and Shuichi both stared at him with wide eyes; Kaito’s glow, which had been a pale purple, was now shifting into a more noticable red. His face, however, was pale.

“You’re not serious, right?” He asked, and turned to look at Shuichi. “Is he bothering you? I know you two are close and all, but...”

“Th-that is—”

“Oh, I’m definitely serious,” Kokichi continued, grasping one of Shuichi’s hands in his own, “I’m super in love with him and he’s super in love with me. I’ve tainted Shuichi with my lies, and soon enough he’ll be an indoctrinated member of my evil organization!” He then let go of Shuichi’s hand to mock-whisper, “Someday in the future when I propose, I want us to elope to Greece and become olive farmers!”

Kaito grimaced at Kokichi.

“What kind of bullshit lie is that?”

“The kind that idiots like you would believe,” Kokichi smirked.

Kaito looked at him, but then shifted his gaze to Shuichi, and his glow went from semi-dark red to blue. Kokichi followed his lead, and adjusted his glasses to get a better look, nearly flinching at what he saw: A displeased expression, and a dark purple glow.

“Whatever,” Kaito said eventually. “I don’t know what kind of weird conversation you two were actually having, but leave me out of it.”

Kokichi watched as Kaito left, and looked at Shuichi with an expression that he would never admit was timid.

Silence.

“You didn’t have to go that far, you know,” Shuichi said hesitantly. “Overplaying the truth like that… I could have told him and he might have reacted better.” He paused, and added, “That wasn’t really funny, either.”

Kokichi frowned.

“Hey, you’ve never been afraid of my jokes before, and I mean, it’s just Kaito.”

“It’s not a joke when it comes to feelings, though,” Shuichi said.

“What would you have preferred that I do?” Kokichi asked seriously, “Would you have preferred if I lied? Or if I dodged the question completely?”

Shuichi sighed, and looked away.

“Maybe. Now that you’ve made everything seem bigger than it is, Kaito might not take me seriously if I tell him that I like you. He already doesn’t hold you in high regard, and now I think he just thinks you’re trying to mess with me...” Shuichi said grimly. “At least if you lied or dodged the question, he might have expected it, and I could have had a chance to come clean on my own terms.”

Kokichi looked at Shuichi— or rather, the fifth heart in the corner of his vision, which was no longer jittering. The fourth heart was thankfully intact; Kokichi hadn’t completely fucked himself over yet. When he looked at Shuichi’s face, he saw conflict in in his expression.

“No, I get it,” Kokichi said suddenly, and wore a forced grin. “I made a dick move and now I have to repent for it, right?”

Shuichi flinched.

_Fuck, you’re digging yourself even deeper into a hole. Way to go, self._

“I didn’t say that,” Shuichi murmured.

His purple glow had turned to an ocean blue. It might have looked pretty, if it hadn’t meant that Shuichi wasn’t despondent.

“I think we should stop for the day,” Shuichi eventually stated, gesturing to the remaining bento ingredients.

Kokichi’s false grin faded.

“Yeah, maybe.”

Cleaning up the rest of the ingredients was a wordless task, and after they were done, Shuichi took one last lingering look at Kokichi, and left. As Kokichi stood in the now-empty kitchen, he took off his glasses and set them down to rub the bridge of his nose in frustration. Several long moments passed, each feeling an eternity longer than the last, until Kokichi finally pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a text.

* * *

**New message in: “DICE groupchat”**

FROM: Me (3:48 pm)  
Which one of you is the best at apologizing?

* * *

The rest of Sunday was a blur.

Kokichi made the decision to keep his glasses off for the rest of the day, just because looking at them made him feel a pang of regret. He preferred not to deal with seeing everyone else’s glows in a bitter reminder of how he’d messed up.

Shortly after the incident, he’d texted the members of DICE; His second-in-command, who he’d affectionately dubbed One-Eye, had advised him to give Shuichi space for the next few days, and then go in for the kill… metaphorically speaking. Kokichi would have to be sincere— no lies, no theatrics, and most importantly, no escapism. The thought of complying to any of those three rules, especially when he would be placing himself in a vulnerable state, made him grit his teeth. 

But he’d do it for Shuichi.

And so, he set his glasses aside to charge, ate a dinner that tasted surprisingly bland, finished stress-cleaning his room, and went to bed.

Monday and Tuesday were hardly bearable, for multiple reasons. Every time he looked at Shuichi during their mandatory lessons, he noted the wistful expression on his face, only further intensified by the times Kokichi would put on his glasses and see the dull blue glow around him whenever their eyes met. Not that they’d meet for very long. Kokichi noted that his fourth heart was still full, however. It was apparent that Shuichi still had some sort of lingering crush on him, but Kokichi was sure that if he left Shuichi to overthink things, he would have an even harder time trying to recover. And so, on Wednesday, he decided he couldn’t take it anymore.

There were only twenty minutes of class left, and Kokichi didn’t know where he’d be able to find him afterward, considering he was usually busy doing whatever it was that detectives do on their free time. So he inconspicuously tore a page out of his notebook, jotted a quick note on it in purple gel pen, and folded the paper into an airplane.

Meet me on the roof at 7:30.

He waited for an opportune moment, glanced around, aimed, and threw it.

It hit his target squarely on the nose.

Shuichi flinched at the papery impact, but unfolded the note anyway. After several seconds of silence, he glanced at Kokichi, and Kokichi refused to look away. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Shuichi nodded; His glow subtly shifted from blue to turquoise, which was a good sign... Or so Kokichi hoped, anyway.

The moment that class ended for the day, Kokichi bolted out of the classroom, and headed towards his dorm. He set his jacket aside, charged his glasses once again (just in case,) and grabbed his wallet. He didn’t have too much money in it, but he needed to make a purchase.

* * *

_Clang!_

The sound of the metal door to the roof being opened startled Kokichi out of his mindless daydreaming, and he snapped his gaze to the source.

Shuichi stood there for several moments, just looking at Kokichi as Kokichi looked at him. Kokichi’s glasses quickly registered the turquoise glow still surrounding him. The staredown didn’t last long, however, as Shuichi eventually noticed the small grocery bag that Kokichi had carried with him.

“What’s in the bag?” Shuichi asked.

Wordlessly, Kokichi rifled through it and pulled out a bottle, then tossed it to Shuichi, who caught it expertly.

“It’s cold-brewed oolong. I figured since you like it…” Kokichi trailed off.

“I’m surprised you remembered that,” Shuichi said, in a tone of voice that Kokichi couldn’t decipher.

“Hey, I remember all sort of important details about you!” Kokichi said indignantly. Shuichi blinked, and opened his mouth— “And before you say that wasn’t an important detail, I’m telling you, it is,” Kokichi finished before Shuichi could even have the chance to refute him.

Shuichi approached Kokichi, and they sat down together near the railing. There was a prolonged pause; Shuichi didn’t look as though he felt he had anything to say, and Kokichi was struggling to find the words.

_Apologies… damn, how long has it been since I’ve even had to give one for real?_

Eventually, he groaned and bit the bullet.

“So. About Sunday,” He started, and tugged on his scarf, trying to find the right words, “I was… a pretty big asshole about things.”

“Such as?” Shuichi prompted neutrally.

_I should have figured Shuichi wouldn’t let me off the hook that easily. I guess he’ll never stop surprising me._

“Such as… trying to scare off Kaito, and making a joke out of what I mean to you and what you mean to me, and then insulting Kaito in front of you, and getting snippy when you tried to call me out on it,” Kokichi said, all in one breath.

After adjusting the glasses on the bridge of his nose, Kokichi spared a glance at Shuichi, and noted that the glow around him hadn’t changed.

“Kokichi… do you even know why what you did was wrong? Or are you just apologizing because you want me to forgive you?”

“Well duh I want you to forgive me!” Kokichi said, and frowned when Shuichi flinched.

“So then… you don’t even feel bad about what you said? You just feel bad because I reacted badly?”

_No lies, no theatrics, and most importantly, no escapism._

Kokichi clenched his fists.

“Look… it doesn’t matter what Kaito thinks about me, good or bad. He’s not the one I care about. The one I care about is you…” He closed his eyes; “...But I know you care about Kaito, and if his opinion matters so much to you, then I guess I’ll have to force myself to care too.” Kokichi paused; “I’m sorry that I made things unnecessarily complicated for you, and I’m sorry that I made the things between us sound like a joke, and I’m sorry for fucking around when you still don’t really know how to feel about me, and I’m sorry for hurting you, and I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m fucking _sorry_ —”

Kokichi didn’t even realize his voice had gotten louder until he felt Shuichi press the still-chilled bottle of oolong to his cheek, and unintentionally hissed.

“...I forgive you.”

Kokichi’s eyes flew open, and he turned his head to look at Shuichi, whose glow was slowly starting to turn green-yellow-tinted as he pulled the bottle away. The relief was like a splash of cool water on a burning summer day.

“...On one condition.”

Kokichi blinked, and watched as Shuichi unscrewed the cap on the bottle of tea.

“When I tell Kaito that I like you, you have to come with me.”

Kokichi grimaced. If he had more honesty, he might have admitted that it was a fair condition. As it was, he knew accompanying Shuichi for that situation would be unpleasant at best… but if that was his penance for his mistake, and if that as what it would take for Kokichi to regain the trust of one of the people he himself trusted the most, then so be it.

“I’m not going to like it,” Kokichi groused.

Shuichi took a large drink from the bottle, and shrugged lightly— “I know you aren’t, but if you’ve really been interested in me for as long as you said you have, then I’m sure it’d be worth it, right?”

Kokichi stared.

“Shuichi Saihara, did you just _tease_ me?”

Shuichi glanced away, his face turning pink as he lost his bravado.

“Maybe.”

Kokichi snickered, and let go of the remaining tension that was in his body as he watched Shuichi’s glow turn more and more yellow. _So he’s not upset anymore,_ Kokichi thought. _I guess I have to thank Miu for these glasses at some point. Somehow._ Instead of dwelling on how he’d (indirectly) show his appreciation for Miu’s help, Kokichi chose to observe Shuichi. The way his eyelashes fluttered when he blinked, the way his throat moved as he swallowed the tea, the quiet satisfied exhales he made after he drank…

“You’re staring,” Shuichi pointed out after a while.

“Just appreciating the view,” Kokichi countered.

“Are you sure there’s not something on your mind?” Shuichi countered back, and raised an eyebrow.

 

**→ “When are you going to tell Kaito?”**  
**→ “You look kissable.”**

* * *

**POLL CLOSED ON 9/21/18!**


	9. "When are you going to tell Kaito?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The thing about that is,” Kokichi started, and forced himself to make direct eye contact with Kaito, “Shuichi and I are going out. Kind of.”
> 
> Kaito looked at him. And looked. And looked some more.
> 
> “Okay, now what did you really want to tell me?” Kaito said, glancing at Shuichi with an odd expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry about the wait for this chapter y'all! I hve been super busy with school work and other shit, and I've hardly been able to muster up the creativity for writing. BUT I HAVE RETURNED!
> 
> (There totally isn't a subliminal message hidden somewhere in this chapter. Totally.)

“When are you going to tell Kaito?” Kokichi asked, taking off his glasses and observing the sunset.

Shuichi hummed, and Kokichi could hear the sound of him twisting the cap back on the bottle.

“Well, I hadn’t really given that much thought to it, mainly because I didn’t think you’d agree so easily.”

Kokichi groaned, and said, “God, don’t remind me. He’s probably gonna punch me in the face or something. I should have an ice pack prepared beforehand.”

Shuichi was quiet for several seconds, as if he was mulling something over in his head.

“Do you want to go to him now?”

“Wait, what?!” Kokichi sputtered, “Are you really that eager to see me get cold-clocked?!”

“No, that’s not what I meant at all!” Shuichi protested. “I just thought, you know, it’d be like ripping the band-aid off. Plus, if we get it over with now, we won’t have to sneak around or anything.”

“You were willing to sneak around with me?” Kokichi said, and turned his head to leer at Shuichi.

“I never said that,” Shuichi mumbled, though the tips of his ears were red.

Kokichi took a moment to think about the possibilities. It was true that getting it over with now would spare them the trouble later, but Kokichi wasn’t sure if he was one-hundred-percent prepared to deal with what would surely be a painfully awkward conversation.

Well, it wasn’t like he hadn’t been able to bullshit his way into confidence before.

“Alright,” Kokichi eventually conceded, and put his glasses back on, “We can tell him now. But if he ends up breaking these glasses when he punches me, we’re going to have an issue.”

“I don’t think he’s going to punch you,” Shuichi said, though his voice betrayed his uncertainty.

“You should leave the lying to me next time.”

* * *

The trip to Kaito’s dorm room was silent, but not uncomfortable. Or at least, not too uncomfortable. As the duo made the trek to Kaito’s dorm room, Kokichi was tempted to fuss with his glasses (since he didn’t have anything else to fiddle with) in an attempt to calm his totally-not-tense nerves. _Kokichi Ouma? Anxious about having a civil conversation with Kaito? Hah!_

It wasn’t too close to curfew, and Kokichi toyed with the idea that maybe Kaito wouldn’t be in his room. But when Shuichi knocked on the door and heard ‘just a sec!’ from the other side, he knew it was time to face the music. He took the last few seconds to mentally prepare.

The door swung open.

“Hey Kaito,” Shuichi said with what Kokichi might have recognized as anxiety— then again, it was Shuichi, so it shouldn’t have been that surprising.

“Hey,” Kaito responded jovially, and let his eyes trail to where Kokichi was standing. His expression grew flat, and Kokichi noticed his pale yellow glow turn into a peachy orange. Unsurprising, considering Kaito still had a large ‘X’ in the display where there should have been hearts.

“Is there some reason you brought him along?” Kaito asked.

“We should probably step inside for this,” Shuichi suggested.

And so they did.

The interior of Kaito’s room was more or less how Kokichi expected it to be. Sure, there wasn’t quite as much space paraphernalia as he would have expected, a fact for which he was grateful— he might not have been able to resist the urge to jeer at him about it otherwise— but there were still star charts hung upon the walls, a small telescope aimed at the window, and several textbooks scattered around. Kokichi watched as Shuichi made himself comfortable on Kaito’s bed, and joined him. He briefly had the idea that he needed to bring Shuichi to his own sometime.

 _Damn it, that sounds perverted even in my own mind,_ Kokichi thought.

“So, is there a problem?” Kaito asked, raising an eyebrow at Shuichi.

“No, not really,” Shuichi said, and drummed his fingers against his thigh when Kaito looked at him quizzically, “We just... have something to tell you.”

Kaito looked at him for a second, and then shifted his gaze to Kokichi.

Kokichi grimaced. A look at Shuichi showed that his expression was unusually hard to read.

_He’s going to make me say it._

“The thing about that is,” Kokichi started, and forced himself to make direct eye contact with Kaito, “Shuichi and I are going out. Kind of.”

Kaito looked at him. And looked. And looked some more.

“Okay, now what did you _really_ want to tell me?” Kaito said, glancing at Shuichi with an odd expression.

“Hey, I’m actually telling the truth for once,” Kokichi said with just the slightest hint of indignity.

“It… it is true,” Shuichi said after a pause.

Kokichi removed his glasses and put them in the pocket of his school blazer, and looked at Kaito. He could practically see the gears turning inside his head.

“So, the other day—”

“That was me exaggerating,” Kokichi admitted, “But we’re still. Y’know.” Somehow, he couldn’t manage to let himself call them a couple yet.

Kaito looked between them once again for a long stretch of time, until he clenched his hand into a fist, and slowly reeled it back. Kokichi flinched, and waited.

…

When nothing came, he peeked an eye open, only to see Kaito refusing to look with him, yet holding out a hand in what looked like an offer for a handshake. Kokichi blinked, and furrowed his brows.

“A handshake? Seriously?”

“Hey,” Kaito spoke, stern yet resigned, “As much as I don’t like it, and as much as I don’t understand it, I trust Shuichi to know what he’s doing. If you make him happy, then I gotta respect that. So shake my hand and I’ll man up and get used to it.”

“That was a quick decision,” Kokichi said, swiftly realizing that he was pushing his luck after the words escaped his mouth. He only hesitated a moment before reaching out to awkwardly yet firmly shake Kaito’s hand, but in the process, he could swear that Kaito looked… relieved? Unsure? It was hard to tell.

“I’ve gotta believe in my sidekick, don’t I?” Kaito said, and pulled his hand away with a shrug. “But if you mess it up, you’re not gonna be dealing with just me. Don’t forget that.”

(Kokichi would never admit it, but the way he chewed on his nail after withdrawing his hand from Kaito’s was a testament to the almost intimidating tone of Kaito’s words.)

Kokichi spared a glance at Shuichi, who was practically radiating positive energy, even without the aid of the glasses. He couldn’t resist returning the smile. But, still...

“So! Now that that’s over with, can we go? I need to get ready for my nightly routine, and I can’t be hanging around this room forever—”

“If you wanna go, then go,” Kaito said, exasperated.

With mild curiosity, Kokichi put his glasses back on and got off the bed, walking towards the door. As he reached for the doorknob, he glanced behind him. Kaito had pulled Shuichi aside to mutter something to him, and Shuichi’s face turned bright red. Even more interesting than the embarrassed expression on Shuichi’s face was the fact that the large ‘X’ that had been on Kaito’s display was now gone.

Moments after Kokichi left the room, Shuichi joined him.

“Do you want me to walk you back to your room?” Shuichi asked.

“Sure. By the way, what was Kaito telling you as I left?” Kokichi teased, “Was it something dirty?”

“What? No!” Shuichi said indignantly, though as they walked, Kokichi could clearly see the blush return.

“Aw, are you afraid of the idea? Does that mean you’re not attracted to me?” Kokichi said, preparing the waterworks.

“Of course I am.”

Kokichi stopped mid-stride, and looked at Shuichi with surprise. Shuichi didn’t meet his eyes, but he didn’t take his words back either.

“Let’s go on a date,” Kokichi blurted out.

That time, Shuichi was the one caught off guard. Kokichi took the opportunity to recollect himself.

“That’s what people who like each other do, riiiight?” He continued, “And I do like you a lot. Plus, then we can have a chance to actually get used to each other in a romantic setting!”

Shuichi thought about it for a moment. Kokichi watched as a myriad of emotions flickered across his face, and tried to remind himself that he had been used to pining for Shuichi for a long time— surely waiting an extra while longer if Shuichi said no wouldn’t be the end of the world.

“That would be nice.”

_Huh, that was easier than I thought._

They managed to walk through the quiet corridors for the last few moments it took to get to Kokichi’s room, and stood outside the door.

“I guess this is where we part,” Shuichi said; It almost sounded like a question.

“Unless you really are so naughty that you wanna get into my bed right away,” Kokichi snickered.

“How about I give you a goodnight kiss instead?” Shuichi offered, and Kokichi happily agreed.

Kokichi wished he could have been more adventurous with the kiss, rather than just a quick press of lips (even though it was unbearably cute,) but still smiled when Shuichi pulled away.

Later that night, with the feeling of Shuichi’s lips on his own still lingering, he thought, _Shuichi really keeps surprising me, doesn’t he?_

* * *

The next morning, Kokichi made sure to wake up extra early so that he could grab a copy of the Hope’s Peak Weekly Newsletter. While he normally didn’t care much for reading about what was going on within the school, mostly because everything was surprisingly mundane for a school devoted to exceptional talent, he couldn’t help but search through one of the last remaining issues in the small stand.

 _There’s got to be something interesting going on in the area this weekend,_ he thought as he browsed through the pages.

One particular page had a [small events section,](https://i.imgur.com/68gT4Iq.png) and when Kokichi spotted it, he immediately scanned through it for ideas. The three that popped out at him were a small festival at a nearby botanical garden, a late-night arcade grand opening, and a special student discount for a day at the amusement park.

Kokichi looked between his options.

_Obviously I want to surprise him with a fun time, but I have no idea what he’d be like in any of these social situations. Or I guess I could just pick one at random._

 

**→ Botanical garden festival**  
**→ Arcade grand opening**  
**→ Amusement park**

**POLL CLOSED ON 10/29/18!**


	10. Botanical garden festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi would be incredibly hard-pressed to admit it, but he had never been on a proper date before. He had consulted DICE for advice on how to impress Shuichi, but most of the answers he had gotten were some variant of “just be yourself”. Which would be good advice for anyone but Kokichi, considering he didn’t often know who he was beyond the lies anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *arrives over a month late with starbucks*
> 
> Oh, I guess I should update this, huh?
> 
> In all seriousness, I apologize profusely for not updating in so long. I had hit a major creative dry spell, and until about a week or two ago, I hadn't been able to do basically anything. That being said, I owe a major amount of thanks to the SaiOuma Pit for inspiring me and helping me to get back into the flow of writing and drawing.
> 
> And finally, before the chapter starts, I want to thank all of you, my readers, for continuing to vote and comment and let me know that people actually still care about this fic ^^;
> 
> With that being said... Please enjoy!

Kokichi stared at the paper again, and took another moment to think carefully; An arcade, while fun, would probably be a much-too-crowded area for Shuichi to take any comfort in, and Kokichi didn’t want to deal with the exorbitant amount of money they’d surely waste on rigged games at the amusement park.

So, the botanical garden festival it was.

* * *

FROM: Me (7:29 am)   
Do you have any plans on Saturday?

_FROM: Shumai (7:30 am)_   
_No, did you have something in mind?_

FROM: Me (7:30 am)   
You’ll see. ;)

_FROM: Shumai (7:32 am)_   
_...Should I be worried?_

* * *

For almost the entirety of Thursday and Friday, Kokichi found himself growing impatient for the weekend. He and Shuichi had agreed to meet up at five in the evening on the day of the festival, which he was excited about. He wasn’t, however, excited about the massive amount of homework he had been given over the span of a day and a half, meaning that he not only didn’t have time to communicate with Shuichi (or anyone, really) outside of a few sparse texts, but he also wasn’t able to do much to prepare for the day.

Kokichi would be incredibly hard-pressed to admit it, but he had never been on a proper date before. He had consulted DICE for advice on how to impress Shuichi, but most of the answers he had gotten were some variant of “just be yourself”. Which would be good advice for anyone but Kokichi, considering he didn’t often know who he was beyond the lies anyway.

That didn’t stop him from making an attempt to look nice for the date, though. Instead of his usual weekend attire, which was somewhat reminiscent of a prisoner in solitary confinement, he chose to wear a pair of black jeans and a purple long-sleeved shirt, in addition to his regular shoes and scarf.

They’d have to pry the checkered piece of clothing away from his cold, dead hands. Er, neck.

He hummed to himself as he waited by the school gates, watching as some of the other students of Hope’s Peak milled around. _No sign of Shuichi yet…_

He was almost starting to get concerned, until he heard Shuichi’s voice calling out to him. He turned his head towards the sound, and nearly froze on the spot.

Shuichi was wearing a dark blue flannel shirt with a white undershirt, a pair of classy-looking jeans, and black flats. His eyelashes looked more pronounced than usual— _was he wearing mascara?_ — and he smelled like cinnamon.

In other words, Shuichi Saihara didn’t just look like a snack, he looked like a full goddamn meal.

“Are we good to go?” Shuichi asked, and Kokichi mentally scolded himself for getting distracted.

“Yup!” He said, forcing himself not to get off-track, and motioned for Shuichi to follow him.

The botanical garden was only a short while away from the station near Hope’s Peak, twenty minutes at most, but each second felt like an exquisite agony. Kokichi briefly wondered if Shuichi had consulted someone for help. Maybe Kaede, or perhaps Rantaro? Those two seemed like the most viable candidates.

Soon enough, their stop arrived.

As they walked towards the gate to the garden, Kokichi took a moment to study Shuichi’s expression. Shuichi looked… astonished. It was an incredibly endearing expression, and if Kokichi could have surreptitiously pulled out his phone to take a picture, he would have.

Instead, he said, “Come on, Mr. Detective, there’s supposed to be a band playing soon, and the free food might run out if we don’t get there soon!”

He pulled Shuichi past the gates, and into the garden. As soon as they entered, the sight of dozens of flowers surrounded them; A cobblestone pathway split in multiple directions, surrounded by rose bushes at the start, but giving way to a variety of smaller flowers in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Marigolds, violets, tulips, daisies, lavender, all sprawled along the trails. In the center of the entryway was a small fountain, and from the side, the sound of [light acoustic music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emcrSaTeGSM) could be heard. There were quite a few people in the area, walking around and chatting and laughing, and the entire area gave off a very casual but welcoming vibe.

Kokichi took the chance to sneak a glance at Shuichi, who was still slowly looking around.

“It’s beautiful,” Shuichi said simply, and Kokichi didn’t need to wear his glasses just yet; He could already tell that Shuichi must have been awestruck.

They made their way past one of the veiled decorative arches, towards the sound of the music. Surrounded by cosmos was a wooden stage with several live performers, and to the sides, tables of finger-foods and fruits and small desserts. Kokichi immediately made a beeline for the table with brownies, with Shuichi following closely behind.

“You know,” Kokichi said after swallowing a bite of chocolatey goodness, “I’d offer to feed you, but that would be kinda weird, wouldn’t it?”

Shuichi laughed quietly, and said, “Kind of.”

Kokichi instead offered him a brownie, and Shuichi took it gratefully. As they ate several of the snacks to the sound of the ambient background music, Kokichi couldn’t help but feel relaxed. Things were already going well, and he suspected they could only get better for the rest of the evening.

After they had both eaten their fill of the free foods, Kokichi led them out of the area and down another path. After a few minutes of walking side-by-side, they came to what appeared to be a labyrinth of topiary trees. At the side of the entrance, there was a small booth with a table spread with T-shirts. A young man sat behind the table, and glanced up at the two.

“Would you like to enter the hedge maze? If you make it out in less than eight minutes, you get a free shirt.”

Kokichi glanced at Shuichi, and grinned.

“You know if you hug the right side of the maze, you’ll get out eventually, right?”

Shuichi put a finger to his chin, and said, “But wouldn’t that take longer than eight minutes if you account for the twists and turns?”

“That’s why we gotta run!” Kokichi said with a laugh, and ran into the maze.

“Hey, wait!” Shuichi called after him, and sprinted inside as well.

(As it turned out, they found their way out of the maze in eight minutes and seventeen seconds. Kokichi let out an exaggerated sigh, almost tempted to sneak away with one of the shirts while the man running the booth wasn’t looking.)

At that point, it was nearing six, and Kokichi took the opportunity to put his glasses back on. Even more interesting than the flowers surrounding him was Shuichi, whose glow was pulsating golden, and the fifth heart in the corner of his vision, which was jittering once again. Kokichi glanced around the area, and carefully took Shuichi’s hand in his own. They then walked together, hand in hand, to one of the smaller paths, away from the music and the maze. The area became more dense with flowers, still in orderly arrangements, but much more vibrant. The silence between Kokichi and Shuichi was comfortable, and Kokichi suspected that if Shuichi had a pair of Romance Simulation Glasses as well, he’d see Kokichi with the same warm glow around himself.

The path led them through several areas; A small pond, a series of bonsai trees, a field dense with daisies, until finally they reached a clearing with a gazebo and benches in the center, surrounded by roses. It was more romantic than Kokichi had anticipated, and Shuichi squeezed his hand. It was definitely a good thing that Shuichi wasn’t close to his wrist— otherwise, he might have felt Kokichi’s rapid heartbeat.

_It’s just a date,_ he reminded himself, _You’re not proposing or anything, so get a grip already._

“Uhm,” Shuichi started, “Should we take a seat at the gazebo?”

“Sure,” Kokichi answered, absentmindedly.

They walked to the gazebo and sat down on one of the benches. Kokichi glanced around the area, noting that most of the patrons who had been around the area were now out of sight. There were a few groups of people scattered around, but none close enough that they’d be able to hear a conversation.

“I’m glad you brought me here,” Shuichi admitted after a short stretch of time, wearing a large smile that Kokichi had only seen a handful of times, none of them directed at him before. “I’ve been having fun.”

“Of course you have!” Kokichi said with a grin. “As an ultimate supreme leader, I’m an expert in keeping my compatriots entertained.”

“But I’m not a part of your organization,” Shuichi said.

“Yet. You’re not part of my organization, yet. I’ll convince you to join one of these days,” Kokichi snickered.

“And what would my role in your organization be, again?”

Kokichi took his glasses off and tapped the rim against his lips.

“Hmm, you’d be my second-in-command, of course. You know all kinds of investigative tricks. We could go on secret spying missions together, we could have tea parties together, you could help me cover up various heists, etcetera etcetera.”

“Tea parties?” Shuichi said, suppressing a laugh.

“Hey, don’t knock ‘em til you try ‘em.”

The two chuckled lightly together, and Kokichi took a moment to look at Shuichi. For his first ever real date, Kokichi thought things had turned out rather well. But there was still one thing he had to do…

“Hey, Shuichi, can you look at me for a second?”

Shuichi settled his laughter and looked at Kokichi, who then carefully cupped his cheek and brought him in for a slow kiss.

It took an embarrassingly long moment for Kokichi to remember that they were in a public area and that it probably wasn’t the best idea to be close to making out where anyone could walk in on them, but he reluctantly pulled away. Shuichi glanced away, a light pink dusting his cheeks (and how was it that every time, he looked impossibly cuter?) which gave Kokichi the opportunity to slide his glasses back on and get a better look at Shuichi.

A warm yellow glow, and a fifth heart fully filled in the corner of his vision.

Kokichi smiled, but paused when Shuichi turned to look at him seriously.

“Kokichi… you’re almost always wearing those glasses now, but I don’t think you have vision problems.”

Kokichi’s smile faded slightly.

“Can I… will you finally tell me why you’re wearing them?” Shuichi asked.

**→ “I can’t do that.”**   
**→ “I’ll tell you… eventually.”**

* * *

[(POLL LINK)](https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3SRX28C)

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on twitter @doomtemp ! I'm also on the DanganRonpa amino as DoomTemp !
> 
> Also, if you want a reference for what the RSG view looks like, [here's a reference.](https://i.imgur.com/SE4pNy9.png)


End file.
